USA Romps China In Second Straight Game

The United States captured their third victory in exhibition play after beating China in their second-straight match up (NBAE / Getty Images)

The United States’ second game against the Chinese was nearly identical to the first, with the final being 107-57, compared to 106-57 on Sunday night.

DeMarcus Cousins was the dominant force on Tuesday, and he netted 21 points on 7/8 shooting to go along with his 11 rebounds. In their usual fashion, the United States absolutely terrorized their opponent on the glass, and the rebound margin was +27 for the Americans — the U.S. hauled in 19 offensive rebounds, nearly equaling the Chinese total of 21.

Carmelo Anthony was the only other player to go for at least 20, and he finished with exactly 20 on 7/12 shooting and 4/8 from three; 16 of those came in the third quarter. Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant had 15 and 13, respectively, to round out the double-figure scorers, and everyone on the roster registered at least one made basket.

The Chinese offense ran very modestly, but the defense they faced was stifling, as usual. China’s leading scorer was Zhou Qi with 13, and Zhou Peng and Guo Ailun each had 11 in their attempts to keep the team in the game. Overall, China finished with a field goal percentage of 41.1 on 56 shot attempts, compared to the United States, who shot 50 percent on 72 shots.

If we want to draw positives from this shellacking, China did a splendid job of not turning the ball over against a USA team who thrives off of opponents mistakes. After their 26-turnover performance in the first matchup, Team China cut down their giveaways to 18, two more than what the United States did.

Also, DeRozan, who finished with just four points, almost had the greatest dunk ever when he went to 360-poster his defender late in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, he was fouled, and the shot was disrupted.